


honey in the rock

by elegantstupidity



Category: Pitch (TV 2016)
Genre: Accidental Baby Acquisition, Banter, Domestic Fluff, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-11
Updated: 2018-02-11
Packaged: 2019-03-16 17:49:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,670
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13641369
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/elegantstupidity/pseuds/elegantstupidity
Summary: Ginny comes back from her run to find a package she most certainly did not order waiting on her doorstep. Unequipped to deal with it on her own, she calls in reinforcements.





	honey in the rock

**Author's Note:**

  * For [scintilla10](https://archiveofourown.org/users/scintilla10/gifts).



> Title from the song "Didn't Leave Nobody But the Baby"

Ginny should have known better than not to question Will when he called and said he wanted to stop by because he had “a surprise.” She’d been too happy her brother was speaking to her again, it’d been a year and a half since the whole Screwgies thing with almost no contact between them, to think too hard about it, though. Which was on her, really. Much as she loved her big brother, in her experience, Will’s surprises only rarely meant anything good. For anyone, but Ginny especially.

But this. This wasn’t dropping out of college because his friend had a lead on a “sure thing” or bringing home a litter of raccoons when he was twelve to keep as pets. 

Actually, it might be a little like that last one.

Except a human baby probably wasn't at all like a bunch of raccoon ones. 

Not that Ginny had the experience with either to say for sure.

She was still unwilling to believe this was real. Even Will couldn't be this fucking irresponsible. She had to be hallucinating. Ginny clung to this in spite of the fact that in the twenty since she came back from her morning run, nothing had happened to make her think someone had spiked her Gatorade with LSD. 

Nothing except for the baby she'd found on her doorstep and who was currently staring at Ginny from her carseat, of course. 

"This can't be fucking happening," Ginny muttered because saying it aloud felt more real than just thinking it. When the baby didn't disappear in a hallucinogenic haze, she winced apologetically. "You didn't hear that."

The little girl, her  _niece_  according to the note still clutched in her hand, blinked solemnly back. 

She looked down at the note again, hoping a 17th re-reading would offer some clarity. 

> G—
> 
> Surprise! This is your niece, Penelope. You don't mind watching her while I take care of some stuff in LA, right? 
> 
> You're the best!
> 
> I'll answer everything when I come back next Wednesday.
> 
> Will

Nope. No clarity.

Ginny knew she'd told Will she was itching with all the free time on her plate this offseason, but that hadn't been an invitation to eat it up. How had he thought this would be okay? And why hadn't he told her he'd become a dad? She was no expert, but this couldn't be a newborn. Penelope was too cute for that, with none of the squashed, wrinkled features she remembered from Salvi's latest progeny. She was alert, too, reaching for the colorful beads dangling from the handle of her carrier with chubby fingers. 

God, why did Ev and Blip have to choose  _this_ week for their annual family vacation? If they were in town, they'd definitely be able to help her get a handle on this situation. But they were off in Hawaii and Ginny couldn't very well demand her only friends with kids cut their trip short to help her take care of yet another one of her brother's fuck ups. Even if she was more than a little tempted.

Still, she couldn't quite punch down the desire for some back up. Ginny could not emphasize how rarely she thought this, but: she wanted her mom.

Which brought up another question. Why _the hell_ hadn't Will left his kid with their mother? Wasn't that basically the entire purpose of grandparents? Unpaid babysitting? And why hadn't her mom told her there was another Baker in the family? Unless, of course, Will hadn't bothered to tell her too. That actually wouldn't be much of a surprise. 

Well, if the Sanders and her mom were out of the question, who could she turn to? 

Amelia did have a weird affinity for babies, but Ginny was a little leery of dragging her into more family stuff. 

Which really only left—

She'd pulled up his contact information and hit call before she could second guess herself. He answered before she could tell herself to hang up.

"Baker, how many times have I told you, I require my beauty sleep?" 

Mike Lawson, for someone complaining about interrupted sleep, sounded remarkably chipper. Ginny knew for a fact he'd been hitting his offseason training hard in preparation for his farewell tour. He'd probably been awake as long as she had. Which meant he was probably more than a little sweaty, or dripping pool water at least, as he rummaged through his refrigerator for breakfast.

Ginny ignored all that in favor of the matter at hand.  

"How well can you keep a secret?"

There was a long, charged pause.

For good reason. As many things as Ginny'd told Mike in confidence, none of them had ever come back to her from another source. 

She also had the sneaking suspicion that every statement he'd relayed to the press or explanation he'd given the team didn't quite match up to his real reasons for waiving his no-trade clause her rookie season. That was one secret he'd never shared, not even with her, really. He held his real reasons close.

Almost as close as he'd had her that night outside Boardner's.

Mike cleared his throat. "Do you need me to bury a body?"

"What?"

"It's just, I'd rather know if I'm going to need my knee braces before I leave the house."

Ginny huffed, grateful this was just a call and he couldn't see her flushed cheeks, and turned her attention to baby Penelope in her carrier. Tentatively, she reached out to brush a finger against her cheek, only a few shades darker than Ginny's own. Her breath caught; that little face was so soft. Penelope took her gaze off her dangling toy to look straight at her aunt. Could babies even see at a distance? Whether or not she could, something warm and gentle, almost strong enough to overpower Ginny's natural anxiety over this situation, took root in her chest. She shook it loose, or tried anyway.

"No bodies, Lawson," she bit out, distracted. "Just get you and your creaky knees over here as soon as you can."

He scoffed, but that didn't seem to stop him from showing up on her doorstep a scant twenty minutes later. 

"All right, Baker. If you're planning to Punk me, just make sure the cameras get my good side. Shouldn't be hard, I don't have a bad one."

"Update your pop culture references, old man," she replied, ushering him into the house. Paparazzi hadn't camped outside her little beach cottage since she first moved in, but it would be just her luck for someone to take an interest the day her brother dropped off his secret baby and her captain came by for a visit. 

Ginny could only imagine the headlines. 

Mike didn't wait for her, walking into the house with a familiar ease. It wasn't unearned. He'd helped her move in last year and taken that as a signal that he had free rein. Ginny, to be fair, didn't do much to disabuse him of the notion. After all, it was only fair. She showed up at his house often enough that it would be pretty hypocritical to keep him out of hers. 

Just. Usually, hers didn't hold a baby that she was somehow responsible for.

From behind, Ginny could see the moment Mike clocked Penelope's presence on the kitchen table, still strapped into her carrier. She'd been remarkably calm, apparently not minding that her aunt clearly had no idea what to do with her. Instead, she just babble a little at Ginny, waving her fists in the air and kicking her feet as they waited for Mike to show up and fix everything. Now that he had, it was clear a baby was the last thing he expected. He might have actually expected a dead body more than a baby.

His swagger ground to a halt, arms thrown out to his sides, like he was searching for balance in the face of what he was seeing. 

"What," he said, utterly still and voice deceptively calm, "is that?"

"That's a baby."

He rounded on her, eyes wide. The fact that Mike didn't even take the time to roll his eyes at her spoke to how thrown for a loop he was. Still, his tone was even enough when he demanded, "I can see that. Where'd you get it?"

"I'm taking care of her," she said, prickling at the skepticism in her captain's gaze.

He knew better than to give it voice. "Can I hold her?" he asked, switching gears. 

It was Ginny's turn to be thrown for a loop. Shifting uncertainly, she said, eloquent, "Uh. Sure?"

He didn't light up at that, but the grin that spread across his face as he unbuckled the baby from her carseat and picked her up was enough to make Ginny's knees go as weak as his. For a pro athlete who'd never been embroiled in a paternity scandal and had no kids of his own, Mike Lawson looked mighty comfortable with a baby in his arms. One big hand supported Penelope's head, though she proved quickly she could hold it up on her own. He cradled her bottom in the crook of his elbow, letting her chubby legs dangle against his side.

Mike Lawson standing in the middle of her kitchen, baby tenderly in his grasp, was not really a sight Ginny needed burned into her brain. She already had enough problems ignoring the way she felt about Mike without adding this on top of them all. 

Which was true even before he started talking.

"Hi," he said, right to Penelope, gentle and sweet and more than a little goofy. "How old are you, sweetheart?"

Penelope responded by attaching her tiny fist to his beard, drawing a bark of laughter from the catcher. Ginny, meanwhile, didn't get nearly so warm a response. 

"Your guess is as good as mine."

His eyebrows furrowed at that, but Mike still addressed his next question to the baby, "And where are your mom and dad?"

"Probably LA." There were even odds that Will was actually where he said he would be, and it was entirely possible Penelope's mother lived in LA. So, it wasn't even a lie.

"Baker," Mike said, tearing his gaze away from Penelope but doing nothing to dislodge her grip from his beard, "you didn't steal this baby, did you? Your biological clock can't be—"

"Oh my God," she groaned. Her forehead thudded against the cool countertop to properly convey her exasperation. If it also cut off the sight of Mike Lawson protectively cradling a baby to his chest before Ginny's ovaries burst, that was just an added bonus. Once she had herself under control, she pushed herself up and glared at him. It was hard, though. He looked pretty damn good with a baby in his arms. "No, I did not commit a felony, Lawson. This is my niece."

"But you don't know how old she is or where her parents are?"

"Blame that on my brother." Mike seemed to take that in stride, which wasn't much of a surprise. He had more than enough experience with flaky family members and had heard all about Will. "All he told me was her name."

"Which is?"

"Penelope."

"Penelope," he murmured, turning back to the baby, who had yet to give up her hold on his facial hair. It didn't seem like he minded much; his grin hadn't fallen an inch. Maybe Mike had just gotten used to Ginny's teasing tugs. She should probably stop doing that, except she definitely wouldn't. His beard was much softer than it looked "Nice to meet you, Penelope."

The baby lit up, giggling. 

Apparently, the Lawson Effect worked on everyone. 

Ginny was used to that. There was no reason to be jealous of a baby. (Her _niece_. It'd sink in soon.)

Especially not when Mike turned that grin on her, eagerness melting into real warmth. 

"She likes me!" he crowed, looking too genuinely pleased for Ginny to really consider knocking him down a peg or two. 

Anyway, she was too busy thinking,  _She's not the only one_. 

* * *

By the time Wednesday rolled around, Ginny couldn't say which she was dreading more: Will showing up to claim his daughter or ghosting on her and leaving Ginny indefinitely responsible for an infant. 

On the one hand, at 25, Ginny was nowhere near ready to care for a child, let alone a baby that wasn't actually hers. She spent at least three months of the year on the road, and another three in a baseball stadium surrounded by professional athletes and trainers and rabid fans. That was no place for a baby. At best, Penelope would be relegated to the care of a team of nannies.

Also, and this wasn't more important than the potential for neglect even if it definitely felt like it was, Ginny couldn't remember ever being more exhausted. In less than a week, Ginny had gone from well-adjusted, if generally stressed, to a vaguely human-shaped ball of caffeine and sleep deprivation.

Penelope's easy-going nature had evaporated the minute she was expected to go to sleep. Having spent most of the day alternating between Mike and Ginny's arms, she made a vigorous opposition to being put back into her carrier, Ginny having nowhere else for the baby to sleep safely that first night. She screamed and whined and looked absolutely pitiful any time either of them tried to put her down, eventually leading to Mike sprawled on the couch—far too small for his well-muscled frame. Not that Penelope seemed to care. She finally drifted off cushioned on the catcher's chest, one of his big hands spread across her back, little face peaceful in a way it hadn't been for hours. 

Still, in spite of the way the baby refused to sleep when not cradled in someone's arms—though it was clear she preferred Mike far and away over her aunt; Ginny couldn't blame her—Penelope had grown on her. 

Steadily and surely, with every bright laugh and toothless grin, Ginny found herself falling more in love. She still wasn't sure about being a mom herself—had way too much baggage on that front to be cured in five days—but she was pretty sure she could corner the market on this aunt thing. 

Well, as long as she had Mike Lawson helping her, she could. 

That was the one thing Ginny was absolutely sure about. She loved having Mike around so much the past five days. Not that he hadn't been around before Penelope showed up. His unquestioning arrival when a baby appeared on her doorstep was testament enough to that. But this was different. It wasn't just Baker and Lawson, hanging out, shooting the shit and talking shop. 

It was Ginny and Mike, partners. On and off the field. 

It felt a lot like the future. 

Honestly, Ginny'd like it to feel more like her present. 

Without Penelope, though, there wouldn't be a reason for him to hang around because "someone needs to make you real dinner" and then because it was "too late to drive," which inevitably led to him crashing in her room because she'd never gotten around to setting up a bed in the guest room and it was easier to trade off getting up with the baby if they were near one another in the night.

Ginny wanted him to keep having a reason to stay.

She wanted that reason to be the simple fact that he wanted to. That he wanted to be around her. That he wanted her.

God, she hoped he wanted her.

"You're thinking awfully hard there, Gin."

There was also that. At some point, Ginny'd stopped being just Baker or rookie—which Mike refused to give up, even after she'd made it a full season in the bigs—and become Gin. It slipped so easily off his lips, she had to wonder how often he'd thought it to himself. 

"Just wondering how I'll spend my time when I'm not being vomited on every hour," she said, smiling a little wanly.

Mike looked like he understood where she was coming from, his grin turning a little blue. "All that free time spent not changing diapers?"

From her highchair—Ginny absolutely went on a bit of an Amazon shopping spree when it became clear the one diaper bag of supplies Will had left would not be sufficient—Penelope looked thoroughly unimpressed with them. She banged her fist against the tray, sending Cheerios skittering across the surface. 

Both adults shook off their melancholy. There'd be time to be sad later. 

"You all done?" Mike asked the baby, like she might really respond. She did babble a little, reaching out for him.

Ginny watched as her captain, the man that she was more than a little in love with—over the past five days she'd given up on denying it: she loved Mike Lawson, and nothing was going to change that—stood and eased her niece out of her seat and bounced her a little in his arms. The girl squealed with laughter, her pudgy fists patting against Mike's cheeks. She was just as fascinated by his beard as she'd been that first day. He blew a raspberry at her, twirling around to some unheard music. From her chair at the kitchen table, Ginny drew her knee up to her chest, propping her chin there and watching the scene unfold. 

"What d'you think, Pen?" he murmured, swaying side to side. "Think your aunt wants to dance with you?

"That what you're doing, old man?"

"Don't listen to her, sweetheart. She wouldn't know rhythm if it beaned her in the helmet."

"Take that back!" Ginny laughed, pushing to her feet and marching straight up to jab at Mike's chest. Penelope was too quick for her, though. She abandoned Mike's beard to grab Ginny's extended finger, shaking it with naked delight. 

"Nope."

Mike took the opportunity to wrap his free arm around Ginny's waist, pulling her into the loose semblance of a dance hold. If dance holds didn't require any space between the partners. His eyes, gone dark, smoldered down at her. Her breath caught in her throat, probably blocked by the way her heart had jumped into it. 

"Maybe if you let me show you a thing or two."

Ginny had a feeling he wasn't talking about dancing. 

She didn't care.

She didn't even really care that the first time she kissed Mike Lawson, he couldn't put his hands on her the way she'd dreamt of too many times to count. None of those dreams included her niece wedged between them, but that didn't matter. Her first taste of him was too good, too delicious, for Ginny to think about anything other than Mike's lips, his tongue already acquainting itself with hers. 

Well, up until Penelope's hand tangled in her hair and pulled. Hard. 

Ginny and Mike disengaged, both laughing in spite of themselves, giddy with relief. 

"Ow," she winced, somehow still giggling as her niece tugged again and showed off some trademark Baker strength. 

"Hold on," Mike murmured, his free hand coming away from her waist and leaving her feeling oddly chilled. Still, when his fingers, gentle and patient, wound into her hair, that melted away. Penelope didn't put up too much of a fight, relinquishing Ginny readily enough. Mike, though, didn't give up so easily. He twirled a curl around his finger, smiling a little hazily at it, but quiet in a way that made Ginny want to know every thought running through his head. 

"You're thinking awfully hard there, Mike."

His gaze sharpened, shifting to hers. When he smiled, there was nothing hazy about it. "Just trying to figure out how much you'd make fun of me if I pinched myself to see if this was real."

"I'd never let you live it down," she replied, prompt. Even if she could more than sympathize with the impulse. 

"Yeah, that sounds about right." Dry as his words were, he shook his head, staring down at her in absolute wonder. Like she was precious and perfect and irreplaceable all at once.

That. That was the way some people waited their whole lives to be looked at. And Ginny actually got to experience it.

"I'll still pinch you if you want me to," she said around the lump in her throat.

He rolled his eyes, and it probably said a lot about how deep she was in this thing that the sight didn't make her want to smack him. She just pressed a little closer, basking in Mike's closeness. Not that she had any intention of giving that up any time soon. Ginny had Mike now; there was no way she'd let him go after the smallest taste.

"Forget the pinching," he said. "Just give me another kiss."

Ginny, as it happened, was more than happy to oblige. 

* * *

When Will finally showed up to pick up Penelope, Ginny didn't even bother to read him the riot act. She did tell him to expect a call from their mother, which was, she figured, punishment enough. 

And anyway, these past five days had gone pretty well for her. She'd gotten to meet her niece, and lay to rest a few of her fears about the possibility of motherhood in the—distant—future.

Plus, she was pretty sure that permanently locking down Mike Lawson could have salvaged even a disaster. Even if Penelope had been a nightmare, the knowledge that Ginny'd get to keep Mike in her life and her bed—where he'd already given her a preview of his talents that afternoon when they finally got Penelope to take a nap in her new rocker—was all the reward she could ask for.

If all of Will's surprises worked out as well for her as this one, Ginny'd actually start looking forward to them.

She wouldn't get her hopes up, not about Will, at least. 

The other parts, though? Those, she could definitely feel pretty optimistic about.


End file.
